1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process of assembling an applied element and a motive means for sliding on snow., as well as a motive means and an element applied adapted for performing this process.
2. Description of Background and Relevant Information
Motive sliding means on snow such as an alpine ski, a cross-country ski, a jumping ski, a mono ski, a snowboard, on etc. generally comprise a flat and elongated base element, for sliding on the snow, and at least one applied element affixed to the upper surface of the base element or to one of the ends of the ski. The applied element can be constituted by a portion of a safety binding, for maintaining a boot or shoe of a skier, a longitudinal slide on which is mounted the body of a binding, a stirrup or a maintenance carrier of a slide, a foot-rest plate, a heel element, a binding accessory such as an apparatus to avoid the crossing of the skis, a spatula or a spatula tip, a heel or heel protector, an anti-theft apparatus, etc.
Until the present these applied elements were affixed, on the upper surface of a sliding motive means, by means of a screw extending through holes bored in the applied element and screwed in the blind holes previously bored in the upper surface of the motive means. This process of assembly of an element applied on a sliding motive means has generally been adopted because it appeared as being the only way of ensuring the maximum safety of the skier by rendering impossible, in practice, an untimely separation between the applied element and the sliding motive means. However, such an assembly process has inherent disadvantages by virtue of the fact that it requires the preliminary boring of blind pre-holes in the upper surface the sliding motive means, by indicating the position of these pre-holes by means of a template, then the manual positioning of each screw in each hole of the applied element and its partial engagement in the corresponding pre-hole and, finally, the screwing of the different screws by utilizing a manual or electric screwdriver. It is thus obvious that such an assembly process of an element applied on a sliding motive means which requires several successive operations, requires a substantial handling, and the present invention attempts overcome this major inconvenience as further described below. On the other hand insertion of the screw has another disadvantage of weakening the ski structure.